Rugby Australia deny bluffing about Super Rugby exit

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has made it clear that the Australian teams are not bluffing about the possibility of exiting the current Trans-Tasman competition if they are not offered a greater financial share. 

Rugby Australia claim they have been investigating the creation of an exclusively domestic competition in an attempt to grow the game locally. However, there has been much speculation that such a notion is just a front to apply pressure on New Zealand Rugby to sit up and take notice of the fact that their portion of the competition’s profits far outweigh Australia’s. 

"It is (a real option), we wouldn't have said it if we weren't real," McLennan told reporters on Thursday. "There's no doubt, we've said it publicly, that the high performance outcomes would probably be better with New Zealand in the mix. But we're not going to play second fiddle so time will tell if we're bluffing. 

"But they know we're serious, we've got the backing of our member unions, Super Rugby club chairs and Channel 9 to go domestic. And look, we haven't won a Bledisloe in 20 years so who's to say that a domestic competition wouldn't deliver more money to Rugby Australia and possibly, with more teams and more players, better high performance outcomes. 

"We'll see." 

McLennan did concede, however, that progress with New Zealand is being made. 

"I've been consistent in saying [NZR chairman] Stewart Mitchell is a really good guy and so we're still talking about Super Rugby and trans-Tasman," McLennan said. 

"We're not there, it's grinding forward I would say. I saw them in Cape Town last week for the sevens so hopefully it will resolve itself or we'll go domestic ... I think the new regime understands and appreciates that New Zealand's future is tied to Australia's success. 

"Whether you call that respect, I don't know, but I think there's an acknowledgement that we're actually a pretty important part of their mix now."